Bulls PA was fired after defying rule when Wizards era Michael Jordan returned | CPT PPP Coverage

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Ray Clay is a legend in Chicago.

Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman are intrinsically linked with the dynastic Chicago Bulls of the 1990s but Clay was also an ever-present over the course of their six NBA championships.

Clay was a public address announcer who spent almost thirteen years with the franchise.

He was also the brain – and voice – behind the Bulls and MJ’s iconic introductions that rang out around United Center amidst the backdrop of The Alan Parsons Project instrumental “Sirius.”

Clay’s trademark “Aaaaand now… the starting line-up… for your… Chicago Bulls!”  and “Froooom North Carolina… at guard… 6ft 6in… Michael Jordan” became synonymous with the Bulls’ championship years and made every pre-game introduction must-see TV.

MJ retired for the second time after a second three-peat with the Bulls in 1998.

But in 2001 he announced his decision to unretire and play for the Washington Wizards.

As Jordan’s return to the place he once called home beckoned, fans wondered if Clay would announce the franchise legend in the same manner he’d always done.

Clay admitted he wasn’t sure at first but figured most people in attendance would want to hear Mike announced in the same iconic way.

“A print media journalist asked me how I planned on introducing Michael Jordan when he came back to the United Center,” Clay recalled.

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“I was honest when I said nobody from the organization had talked to me and told me how they would like me to introduce him. I said my feeling would be that everybody in the building wants to hear Michael Jordan introduced as I’ve introduced him many times before with the full Michael Jordan introduction.”

Clay also reportedly told Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti that he wanted to deliver his familiar introduction for Jordan, but team management had ordered him to introduce Jordan as he would any other opposing player. 

Jordan returned to the Bulls arena on January 19, 2002, as a member of the Wizards.

Fans greeted him like a hero as he took to the court and Clay proceeded to introduce him.

SportsCenter later shared footage of the announcement and reported: “As you heard that was clearly a watered-down version of what Clay wanted to do and was essentially the same intro he did give Jordan during those title years with the Bulls.

“Management baulked at that ordering him to tone it down which was the start of Clay’s demise.”

Clay was allegedly fired in May 2002.

However, the organization gave no official reason and Clay speculated he was fired because of his disagreement with team management over Jordan’s introduction.

Former ESPN analyst Darren Rovell tweeted in 2021: “Bulls let go PA announcer Ray Clay, whose familiar voice introduced the Bulls lineup for every title year, after the 2002 season because of what Clay says was an argument over how to introduce MJ in Chicago as a Wizards player.

“Clay wanted his usual intro. The team did not.”

Fortunately for Clay he had a somewhat happy ending after the Philadelphia 76ers invited him to announce Jordan’s final NBA game as a Wizard.

Clay would continue to be closely associated with the city of Chicago and in 2006 was hired by WNBA franchise the Chicago Sky to be their announcer.

He retired from announcing Sky games in 2019 after 12 years with the team.